Transportation

October 14, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) - The Subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on high-speed rail in the United States. The dream of high-speed rail in America is finally coming true. In 2007, this subcommittee held a hearing to listen to the experiences of international operators and other countries in developing high-speed rail. Their advice was to invest, get a high-speed rail line operating, and once everyone saw it working they would want it for their area: Build it and they will come!    » read more »

Facility represents successful scale-up of company's technology and showcase for the world's first commercially-viable flex ethanol process

2009-10-15 -- Madison, PA - Coskata Inc., a leading developer of next-generation biofuels, today announced the successful start-up of its semi-commercial flex-ethanol facility located in Madison, PA. The accomplishment represents the successful scale-up of the company's technology, and will serve as a showcase for the world's first commercially viable flex-ethanol process.    » read more »

More than 8,000 ARRA Projects Planned, Nearly 5,000 Under Construction

October 14, 2009 -- FAIRFAX, Va. – President Barack Obama joined U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today at the site of the Fairfax County Parkway Extension in Virginia to announce more than 8,000 highway projects have been funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) since its passage in February.    » read more »

House Passes Legislation Introduced by Western New York Lawmakers to Strengthen Aviation Safety, Pilot Training and Passenger Confidence in Wake of Flight 3407 Tragedy

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Congressman Chris Lee (NY-26), Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-27) and Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-28) today called passage of H.R. 3371, the Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, a strong first step forward to improve the safety of air travel in the United States.    » read more »

H.R. 3371 is the Strongest Bill Considered in 50 Years

October 14, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives today passed historic aviation safety legislation introduced by Congressman Jerry F. Costello (D-IL), Chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee. H.R. 3371, The Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act of 2009, enhances airline safety by significantly increasing the flight hours required for commercial first officers and strengthening pilot training.

The bill, introduced in July, is the product of extensive hearings and roundtables with pilots, airlines, family groups and other stakeholders exploring recent regional airline crashes and pilot workforce issues.    » read more »

Legislation addresses recent incidents, including Comair 5191

WASHINGTON (October 14, 2009)—This afternoon, Rep. Ben Chandler supported H.R. 3371, legislation to make air travel safer by strengthening requirements for pilot hiring, training, and pilot fatigue.

“All passengers deserve to be safe in the air—it doesn’t matter which airline you fly,” Chandler said. “It concerns me that the last six fatal commercial airline crashes in the United States were all on regional carriers, and that includes Comair Flight 5191 in Lexington.”    » read more »

Ford Motor Company’s year-to-date hybrid sales are 73 percent higher than the same period in 2008, fueled by the introduction of hybrid versions of the 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 14, 2009 – Ford Motor Company’s hybrid vehicle sales have risen 73 percent this year in sharp contrast to a 14-percent decline in hybrid sales across the industry.

The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers of conquest customers, many of whom are previous import owners. Through September, Ford has sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles, up 73 percent versus the same period in 2008, according to figures from Autodata Inc.    » read more »

15 communities receive grants for road, trail projects from I-JOBS, State Recreational Trails Program

October 13, 2009 -- AMES – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today that the Iowa Transportation Commission has approved more than $2.5 million in grants for road improvement projects, a direct result of the Culver/Judge Administration’s I-JOBS initiative. In addition, the commission granted nearly $4.5 million for trail projects across the state through the State Recreational Trails Program.    » read more »

10/13/09 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Zack Space (OH-18) today marked the beginning of construction on Phase II and III of the Nelsonville Bypass, which received $150 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The project – ODOT’s single largest ARRA-funded project in the state – is estimated to create over 4,800 jobs [Source: Ohio Department of Transportation].    » read more »

Statement of Joe Hinrichs, group vice president, Global Manufacturing and Labor Affairs, Ford Motor Company.

DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 13 – Ford and the United Auto Workers union have reached a tentative agreement on additional modifications to the 2007 UAW-Ford national labor agreement, which would help Ford improve its current and long-term competitiveness in the United States.

The tentative agreement, which covers approximately 41,000 UAW-represented employees in the United States, is subject to ratification by the active UAW-Ford membership. We will not discuss details of the agreement until after the ratification process is complete.

Source: Ford Motor Co.

Ford Motor Company's joint-ventures and wholly-owned entities in China delivered record sales of 119,338 units in the third quarter, an increase of 79 percent from a year ago

SHANGHAI, Oct. 13, 2009 – Ford Motor Company continued its record growth in China in the third quarter, with sales of its joint-ventures and wholly-owned entities increasing 79 percent over the same period last year, to 119,338 units. Through the first nine months of the year, its sales rose 32 percent to 316,639 units.    » read more »

GM is investing more than $230 million in four greater Flint, Mich. plants to support production of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt

2009-10-13 -- FLINT, Mich. - General Motors Company is investing more than $230 million in four GM plants in the greater Flint area to support the production of the fuel-efficient 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt, representing more than 500 jobs. The four GM plants include Flint Engine South, Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool & Die and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.    » read more »

Governor says Legislature must act to protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, Promise scholarships

October 12, 2009 -- LANSING - Michigan Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today signed fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills for the departments of Corrections, Education and Transportation.

"While I have now signed six budget bills, work is far from done on the budget," Granholm said. "The Senate needs to send me the six budgets they are withholding, and both the Senate and the House need to finish their jobs. We must protect police and fire services, K-12 education, Medicaid, and the Promise scholarships, but so far, the Legislature has failed to provide the necessary funding."

Department of Corrections    » read more »

Light Rail Extension Will Expand Sacramento’s Core

October 12, 2009 -- SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Congresswoman Doris O. Matsui (D-Sacramento) joined local community leaders for the groundbreaking ceremony of Regional Transit’s Green Line. The event marked the start of construction on RT’s light rail extension to Richards Boulevard, part of the Downtown-Natomas-Airport (DNA) master plan to connect Sacramento’s downtown core to Natomas, and eventually Sacramento International Airport. Representative Matsui’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:    » read more »

Ford achieved a market share high of 10.1 per cent in September in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month for Ford of Europe since September 2001

COLOGNE, October 12, 2009 – Ford achieved a 10.1 per cent market share in September 2009 in its 19 European main markets – the best share for any month since September 2001 and a 0.8 percentage point increase on the same month 2008.

A total of 51,400 new Ford Fiestas were registered in Europe last month – the best September for Fiesta since 1994.    » read more »